This invention relates to automatic slitter winders or rewinders, and more particularly to a system and method which include a slitter and a core cutter, in combination with a winder. The system and method also includes a roll ejector and web severing, transferring and attaching equipment.
Although programmable or computer controlled slitters are known, it has been necessary to sever or cut the cores for the winder into individual sections corresponding to the transverse widths of the individual webs from the slitter, by hand or by hand controlled apparatus. Often such core segments or sections must then be loaded by hand into a winder for the attachment of the free ends of the web and for winding thereon from the slitter. Automatic core loading into a winder is also known, but in such circumstances it has nevertheless been necessary to sever the core into individual sections, by hand or by a hand operation, and then place the core sections into a loader so that their ends correspond to the transverse positions of the slitter knives. There accordingly exists a need for a system of core cutting, roll removal, core loading, and web severing and attachment to new core sections which reduces or eliminates the necessity for the operator himself to perform one or more of these duties on each roll set.